Only a week since Firefox 3 RC 2 was released, Mozilla has already released Firefox 3 RC 3. I can only imagine that they are getting very close to finishing this fantastic browser, and I can't wait until they do.

For those of you who don't know, Firefox 3 is hands down the best internet browser out there. This might sound like personal opinion, but I would wager a large sum of money on the fact that Firefox 3 is faster, safer, more reliable, and more standards compliant then all of the browsers out there today.

If you don't believe me, head on over to Mozilla's download page, and give the software a whirl for yourself. You won't be disappointed.

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Technorati Tags: internet, web browser, internet browser, firefox 3, open source, web,

OK, you've caught me. Web applications won't actually destroy anything. However, it is my professional opinion that they will indeed take over the planet, and ruthlessly pillage and plunder your operating system and it's insignificant villagers.

Web applications are going to eliminate the need for specific operating systems all together. Below you will find my extremely logical and informative reasons that this will happen. Maybe not now, maybe not ever, but soon.

Cross Platform

The internet is a crazy place. You can check stock markets, purchase items, communicate, store information, check the weather, watch TV, chat/network with friends, stumble around social media sites, play games, and this just in, almost all web applications are cross-platform.

This will eliminate the need for a single platform for applications. And actually limit the success capabilities of the single platform apps.

Making Software That Everyone Can Use Broadens Your Potential Market

Obviously, with Linux and Mac (especially) user percentages on the rise, applications that are web based and cross-platform can reach a broader market. If you create a standalone application only available for XP and Vista, you are essentially dropping your potential market for that product by approximately 10% by the current market share numbers.

As the gap between Windows installations and Mac installations decreases, more and more apps are going to either need to be developed for both platforms to address the needs of both users, or go the less expensive route and make a single web app that performs on both machines. Linux can be thrown in to this mix too, but lets be honest, Linux doesn't really matter just yet. Most Linux users are dual booting with Mac OS X , Windows, or both anyway.

Web Applications are Cheaper to Develop

It costs much less to develop an application in Java or PHP for instance, than it does to develop apps in Visual Studio. Server costs for PHP are relatively low, as it has a high-performance, low resource style to it.

Oh, and by the way, you know those boxes they put software in? The manuals? The CD's or DVD's? Those cost money. Sure it's not much per unit. But if you don't find that kind of money useful in some way, feel free to email me and send me what you don't need. I'll promise to waste it on lottery tickets and bad DVD rentals.

The Bandwidth Available to Residential Consumers is Increasing Rapidly

Sure, North America is no Japan, but lets be serious. That kind of speed is just nutty. Remember those commercials that stated that DSL was faster than cable because you don't share a connection? How the hell can that be true if the entire population of Japan, which might I remind you is approximately 125 million people, use their broadband connections on their country which is around 378,000 square km. For you American folk, that is smaller than Texas. Enough of that rant, I forgot I was supposed to be writing some kind of article here. Forgive me.

You might be saying to yourself, “Hey stupid, I can't play the latest and greatest games on this OS or that OS. I'll need to stick with XP/Vista”. On one hand you are correct. On the other, you are entirely wrong. Gamers aren't real people. So their opinion doesn't really matter in the real people world.

In all seriousness, I think games are probably one of the few things that will remain dependent on a specific operating system. Things could change much later, but for now the technology just isn't there to create a next-gen quality game for your computer in some kind of web application form. I sure hope this changes though, because quite frankly, I'm sick and tired of XP. I've found Linux and OS X to be much better overall operating systems, and I'd rather not be forced to use an operating system just to play games. And yes, I'm not a real person either.

Note: To post a comment for this post, click here.

I have been recording various things on my Macbook and PC for awhile now, and thought it would be good to share a tool with everyone. I use a program called Audacity for all of my editing needs. It is very robust but remains easy to use. It is also available for Linux, Mac OS X, and Windows XP/Vista. It the best free multi-track music editor I have found thus far, and I haven't had any bad experiences with it.

Head on over and Download Audacity

Let me know how well it works for you, or any problems you are having in the comments.

Operating systems are an important aspect of your computer. They handle the user accounts, the processing algorithms, as well as the general handling of almost everything you do on your computer. It is important when you are choosing your next computer that you consider the various options available for you when it comes to operating systems.

This article will cover some of the key differences between Apple's OS X, Linux, and Windows. It is not meant to try to examine which operating system is the best, but rather takes on the project of explaining the differences and how to determine which is the best operating system for you specifically.

Microsoft Windows

This is by far the most popular operating system. Whether or not it is right for you is a different question. Windows is a good operating system. It is relatively stable, is regularly updated, and has decent customization options. Some of the problems with Windows lies in the realm of viruses and spyware. Windows has more of a chance of picking up spyware and viruses than the other operating systems for a couple reasons. The most notable reason being that the account you are using tends to be the administrator account. This means that system changes can be changed by you at your discretion. This also means that programs that are run by you (with or without your knowledge) also can have this access to critical system files. It is important to recognize that Windows Vista has attempted to alleviate some of this problem by adding UAC (user account control) to the interface, asking you to enter your password if anything important is being changed. Having said that, Windows is by far the best platform for computer gaming, and is the standard for most businesses. These trends may change in the coming years, as Mac computers are getting an increasing share in the market.

All in all, Windows is a good operating system. It is relatively simple to use and set up, and is generally the most familiar to newer users as it has been relatively unchanged for several years. If you do not mind the hefty price tag or do not want to spend the time to learn a new operating system, windows is probably the best choice for you.

Mac OS X Leopard

OS X is designed with the average user in mind. It makes everything very simple and easy to use. Having said that, there are still advanced options and various things that can be done to manipulate the environment to make it more tailored to an advanced user. OS X is much more secure than Windows, but is not as widely used. Another important aspect of OS X is that it is proprietary to Macintosh computers. This means that only Apple computers are legally allowed to use OS X as their operating system.

Leopard is the newest installment of the operating system, and has some significant upgrades since the last version, Tiger. One of the most notable features is the automatic backups which is called Time Machine. It lets you specify a drive to back up your data to, and asks what you want backed up, and it is ready to go.

It is important to note that if you play games, Mac OS X is probably not the way to go. It does not yet have even close to the library that Windows has.

Linux

Linux is another operating system that you could use. It is generally free, and comes in many different shapes and flavors. These flavors are called distributions. Because Linux is open-source, it means that anybody who would like can edit the code and manipulate the system to fit their personal needs.

Currently, Ubuntu is the most widely used distribution of Linux that is available. It is easy to set up, and has a good range of compatible components to it. You can get Ubuntu here, and if you would like to give it a try without messing up your current configuration of Windows, feel free to check out my guide on how to install Ubuntu using Wubi.

Linux is probably the most secure operating system of the three, but lends itself to more experienced users a bit better. That is not to say that new users cannot use it, just that it sometimes requires some fiddling with to get everything to work properly.

Whatever You Choose

Remember that all of these operating systems are good options. Windows has its high level of compatibility, games, and is the standard. Apple's Mac OS X is easy to use, powerful, and very pretty. Linux is free (generally), a little bit harder to use, but can be the most powerful and prettiest of the three with some customization.

Having said that, the only thing that really pushes these operating systems apart from each other is games for the computer. There are ways around this and it may change in the future, but Windows right now is hands down the best operating system for gaming. Virtually everything else can be accomplished using Linux, OS X, or Windows.

If you have any questions or comments feel free to email me or comment below.

Next: How to Choose a Processor (CPU)

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I recognize that some people are a little bit hesitant to try out a brand new operating system. Having said that, change can be an important part of life. I'm sure many of you were considering installing Ubuntu, but got a little bit scared of the change it would present in your digital day.

Those who felt this fear can rest easy knowing there is a way to install Ubuntu without directly modifying your current partition set up, and lucky for you (and me) it is extremely simple.

Installing Ubuntu Hardy Heron With Wubi

First, download the Ubuntu Hardy Heron beta from here. Once you have the .iso downloaded, burn it to a CD or DVD, or use your favourite disc image mounting software like Alcohol 120% or PowerISO. Insert or mount the disc/image and it should run automatically. Click on "Install Inside Windows" and you should be presented with the wubi install screen.



Choose the drive you would like to install to, the installation size (I would recommend 15 GB so you have room to play), environment (Ubuntu should be the only choice), language, and username/password.

Click install and you are on your way. The next time you restart your computer, you will be prompted to choose which operating system to load. Choose Ubuntu, and wait for the login screen. Log in with the username and password you chose earlier in the installation.

That's it, you're done!

Additional Help: check out the Ubuntu forums as there is always a plethora of advice and people to help you out should you have any trouble. Keep in mind you are using beta software and are doing so at your own risk.

Last night I installed Ubuntu Hardy Heron 8.04 beta release, and I am actually using it to write this post right now. I have some experience with Linux, mainly with openSUSE and Ubuntu. I think it is important for people in a technical field to incorporate new technologies into their daily lives, so I am going to try and keep this Ubuntu beta as my primary desktop operating system.

Part of the reason I am doing this is to help myself by learning more, but also to help my readers understand Ubuntu a little bit more. So I hope this experience is as educational for you as it is for me. As I fumble across my basic problems and solutions that any user to a new desktop environment will encounter, I plan on documenting them and trying to deliver accurate fixes for most of the issues.

You can go here to download Ubuntu.

Also check out my article for installing Ubuntu inside of your windows installation using wubi.

If you have any experience with Ubuntu, Linux, or anything related let me know how it went in the comments.

I just thought I would write a quick post about a way to allow cross platform functionality between your mac, your PC and back.

For PC:
OpenOffice - This is a full suite of word processing applications that allow users to save in multiple formats.

For Mac:
NeoOffice - This suite is basically a Mac clone of OpenOffice, and seems to have all of the same functionality.

What this gives you essentially, is a free word processing solution for school, work, personal etc. It will allow you to do almost (if not all) of the things the Microsoft Office suite allows you to do, but for free!

I would highly recommend taking a look at these two pieces of software, as they are probably the most important for many users. It is also a common misconception that people with Macs are not able to read or write word processing documents, spreadsheets, presentations, or drawings that are also compatible with Microsoft Office.

Leave me some comments or send me an email and let me know how you like this software.

Posted By: Scott

So here's the scenario: You have a laptop that runs linux, and a main PC that uses Windows. You have the laptop on your desk beside that, and you want to use your PC's mouse and keyboard to control the Laptop. If this is you, read on my friend, read on.

This tutorial will teach you how to set up Synergy, which allows you to use one keyboard and mouse over a network on multiple screens. I've read that a lot of people have trouble getting it to work on a Windows PC and a Linux box. I will be using Ubuntu's latest version 7.10 (beta) for this tutorial. This tutorial will be using a PC running windows, with a laptop to its left that runs Ubuntu 7.10.

Step One:
Download Synergy on your PC. I am using version 1.1 which can be downloaded from here.

Step Two:
Download and install QuickSynergy on your Ubuntu PC. You can find it by searching for it in Add/Remove Programs.

Step Three:
Now it's time to configure Synergy on your PC. So open up the program and Click the radio button "Share this computer's keyboard and mouse (server)".

Step Four:
Now the tricky part, make sure you follow these steps exactly. Under 'screens' click on the + sign to add your computer. Now all you need to do is fill in the first field called "Screen Name". This is the name of your Computer. If you do not know the name of your computer, you can find it by going into your Control Panel, then System and click on the 'Computer Name' tab. It is listed as full computer name. Once you have added your computer, go ahead and add your laptop name in the same way.

Step Five:
Now that the two computers were added, it's time to let Synergy know where they are located. The way Synergy words it is pretty strange if you ask me, so I'll try and decipher it for you as best as I can. Under the Links section, you will notice it says 0-100% of the ----- of ------ goes to 0-100% of ------. What the hell is that supposed to mean? Very strange.

Your options for the first box are: Left, Right, Top and Bottom. Set this to "Left" if your Laptop is to the left of your Computer, which in my case it is. In the next box, choose your Laptop Name. In the next drop down box, choose your main PC. Once you have the information added, click on the + sign and it will add it into the Links Field. Read it and verify that it is correct. Example "yourPCname is left of yourLaptop" (only using your names, of course).

Step Six:
Now, we have to do the exact same thing except in reverse, so that Synergy knows how to get back to its original screen. Do exactly what we did in step five, except tell it that your laptop is to the Right of your PC. Again, this will be slightly different if your laptop is on the other side, but these same instructions still apply. When you click the + sign to add that link, it should read "yourLaptop is right of yourPCname". That's all for the PC side! Now onto your laptop...

Step Seven:
Don't worry, your almost there. Open up QuickSynergy on your Laptop, and click on the "Use" tab. Do not change anything, just click the tab. Now it asks you for your main PC's IP address. In my experiences, I have not got it to work properly unless I use the IP address, so we're going to use that. If you do not know your IP address, open up the Start Menu, click run... and type in "cmd", in the box that appears type "ipconfig" without the quotes. You'll see your IP address appear, just follow the dots, it's the first set of numbers. An alternate way (if this confuses you) is to go to http://whatismyipaddress.com/

Step Eight:
Enter your IP address into the Server hostname/IP address, and click Start.

Ta Da! You should see a lightning bolt through the icon on your taskbar, this means it has successfully established a connection and you are free to move your mouse across to your laptop!

NOTE: VERY IMPORTANT! LISTEN CAREFULLY! I'M NOT KIDDING!

I thought that would get your attention, this is VERY important, there seems to be a bug in the QuickSynergy program, at least it seems like one to me. When you type in the main PC's IP address, make sure that you are under the "Use" tab when you click Start. For example, if you type in the IP address, then move over to the Share tab and click Start, it will not work, you will not have a connection. So make sure you do it this way! I didn't know this before, and I kept wondering why it was not working, so I tested it out and sure enough, I was right.

If you need any more help with this, email thetechjuice@gmail.com or leave a comment and we'll get back to you. Thanks for reading, hope this helped!

I hope everybody had a good thanksgiving, I know I did.

With the Gutsy release coming up, I'm sure there is an interest in a Gutsy + XP dual boot. Just yesterday I did this for my main computer, and so far I am extremely pleased with the results.

First, you're going to want to install XP. Windows XP has a bad habit of not wanting other operating systems to be around when it is first installed. I would back up any personal data that you don't want to lose, and go ahead and format the entire drive using the windows XP cd. It is also important to make sure you have a gutsy LiveCD that you have downloaded before starting this as well.

You are going to make your drive look like this:

Partition 1: 8 GB Windows XP System Files (NTFS)
Partition 2: X GB Windows XP and Ubuntu Shared (ext3 - /home mount point)
Partition 3: 20 GB Ubuntu root (ext3 - / mount point)
Partition 4: 2 GB Linux SWAP (ext3)

Note:
This short guide assumes basic knowledge of formatting and partitioning. If you feel uncomfortable doing these things I would recommend reading up on them first, or getting help from a friend.

Note #2:
The size of the partitions can vary. I personally like the extra room provided by an 8 GB and 20 GB XP/Ubuntu root. It allows for some freedom as far as app installation goes, and gives XP some breathing room. I would install all of your files to the shared ext3 partition, it can be a bit of a habit to quickly click through and save programs into the default directory. This will install apps in XP to your 8 GB partition, and we simply don't want that. Get into the habit of providing your own install directory.

If you have any comments or questions feel free to drop us a line at thetechjuice@gmail.com

So, the first official The Tech Juice post. Please hold your applause until the end of the presentation.

I needed to install Linux on my shiny new MacBook. Being new to the MacBook scene caused me to wonder whether or not this was even possible. But, naturally, I figured out how to do it, and thought I would create a quick How-to on the topic. I figure the theme meshes well.

New Site. New MacBook. New Os.

On to the juicy stuff.

How-to Dual Boot Ubuntu Linux on a MacBook with OS X.

The first and probably most important step is to download Bootcamp and rEFIt. You can get Bootcamp here, and rEFIt here. rEFIt is a boot loader and toolkit that is used to graphically (looks very pretty in my opinion) decide which operating system you would like to boot into. Bootcamp for our purposes is simply going to be used to resize the original Mac partition.

Resize the MacBook’s partition so that you have the desired space for your Ubuntu installation. Tell Bootcamp that the so that is being installed is Windows XP.

Using your Ubuntu CD that you downloaded from here. Boot into the live environment, and run the installer.

The prompts are mostly straight forward, so go through and set up the options as per your needs. Eventually you will reach a partition window. You need to create one partition that is mounted on / and is ext3 file type, and another that’s about 1-2 GB large for a swap file type.

Continue through the prompts and you should end up having Ubuntu installed on your MacBook.

There are some things that should be done to get some features working, but that is beyond the scope of this post. I would refer to this post on how to get some of those features working. I had trouble getting the track pad to function properly, but in my laziness I remedied that with a good old USB mouse.

I hope this was helpful, and if anybody has any feedback about this post or the site feel free to comment or drop us an email at thetechjuice@gmail.com. We check the emails daily.